Wheel Talk

Ryan & Becca discuss tips to improve your production process. Becca's years of throwing production style work and recent position working in a production studio provide a lot of suggestions for today. Efficient production involves many factors and we cover a number of them, including hand positions, water usage, steps you may be able to skip, wheel speed, and more. Listener Questions On t...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about determining what forms to make for your customer base as you hit your stride selling. Also, how do you get past the insecurity about making too much of something that may not sell? Can you even make too much of something? Listener Questions On this episode: - If Ryan was a full time potter, how many pots could he throw in a month? - How much will R...

Ryan & Becca discuss the always challenging topic of pricing. There is no right way that works for everyone, but we can guide you with some things to consider as you go about pricing your body of work. Whether you take a more mathematical approach by listing out costs to produce vs calculating based on the supply & demand of your target market. We also address the questions: where do you s...

Ryan & Becca are back for another question and answer episode with clay, small business, & personal questions. You all provided most of these questions via Instagram and we appreciate it! Enjoy, have some laughs, and get to know us a little more. Listener Questions Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram...

Becca joins Ryan for part two of answering more of your questions about social media. We cover a number of topics, including: the algorithm, hashtags, social media and mental health, post frequency, time commitments, Instagram Stories, and Instagram Reels. We thank you for all of your great questions. Keep sending us more for future discussions, social media related, process, small business, or ot...

Ryan & Becca start the show off with a new clay podcast recommendation for you: The Mud Peddlers, hosted by Lindsey M. Dillon & Donte from Earth Nation Ceramics. Check them out and spread the love for our fellow clay podcasters. On today's episode, Ryan & Becca look back at 2020 goals and results, with real numbers. Afterwards, they look ahead to 2021 and discuss some changes that...

Becca is officially a Hoosier after her move across the country from Monroe, Washington to Indianapolis, Indiana! We welcome her back, discuss some funny stories from her trip, and get back into the swing of things. The topic for today involves how you decide what boundaries to set when sharing through social media, including finances, personal life, or other areas you may wish to keep more privat...

Ryan goes solo on this episode while Becca is getting adjusted after her move to Indianapolis, Indiana. He talks all about running his small business on Instagram, including how he manages his own account and answering a number of your questions along the way. Today, we cover getting sales from Instagram, how Ryan built his following over time, benefits of using Instagram stories, product photogra...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about the differences between an artist and potter. Isn't this one of the hardest questions to answer when a customer asks you whether you call yourself an artist or potter? We both relate more to the potter or craftsperson label, but can also see the appeal of calling yourself an artist as well. It differs person to person based on the work you mak...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about whether to sell second quality pieces alongside your firsts. As you make more pieces, you are guaranteed to produce pots that have flaws and cannot be sold as a ‘first’ quality piece. You are now staring at pots piling up on your studio shelves that you have to decide whether it’s something you are comfortable with customers using on a daily basis...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener question about how to set goals for the New Year. We both include yearly financial goals, but figuring out how to set goals outside of sales numbers can be tougher depending on where you want to take your business. We review some of our past years' goals and some ideas for you to consider when planning for your own business goals. Thanks for the question Sar...

Ryan & Becca answer a number of listener questions related to glazing this week. There's an endless amount to know about this complex part of the process so we hope you enjoy the questions, learn something, and enjoy the banter. Thanks for all your questions you've sent to us recently and let us know if you have more for us (glazing or otherwise). Glazing Questions: - Mixing or buyin...

Ryan & Becca go through a wide range of electric kilns on the market to buy new and used. We start by reviewing the kilns we've each owned over the years before jumping into what's available now. There are so many options out there right now and we dive right into the specifics of a number of them (Skutt, L&L, Olympic, Amaco, & Cone Art) and how much you could pay for them ne...

Ryan & Becca reflect on a recent Instagram post Becca shared (linked below) regarding chasing your creative dreams. The post reads "Choosing to not chase your creative dreams is not 'sensible,' noble, or selfless. It's a heartbreaking waste of your potential, your magic, your art." This conversation is pretty open-ended and shares our personal experiences related to ch...

Ryan & Becca go through a wide range of pottery wheels on the market to buy new and used. There are so many options out there right now and we dive right into the specifics of a number of wheels (Brent, Shimpo, Soldner, Laguna, Skutt, Speedball) and how much you could pay for them new or used. We've only used a few of the wheels on this list, so take our advice with a grain of salt as you...

Ryan & Becca answer a listener's question regarding taking care of our bodies as we work in our studios. We cover topics from prepping clay, table surfaces, wheel height, position at the wheel, loading kilns, and packing/transporting work outside of the studio. We lastly touch on our personal health & wellness routines outside of the studio. Listener Questions On this episode: - Glazi...

Ryan & Becca go in deep about the saturation of the ceramics market today based on a listener question. With the popularity of handmade pottery growing since social media is more embedded into our daily lives, new people are flocking to the medium more than ever! We discuss ceramic market saturation, marketing skills balanced with product quality,  and how do you know when you're ready to...

On this episode, Ryan & Becca sit down for a conversation in Bellevue, Kentucky with Kelti Ziese from Coda Co and Nomad KY. Coda Co is a boutique that mostly sells home goods and local handmade art. Nomad KY is a labeled as "a gathering place" for a quick bite or drink. Both businesses are located on the main strip Fairfield Avenue of Bellevue, Kentucky. She shares some of her proces...

Becca reveals some BIG news regarding the future of 5 Lines Pottery. We've held onto this episode for quite a while as some of the specifics are still being ironed out. Enjoy and wish Becca the best of luck in this next phase! Listener Questions On this episode: - What is your biggest challenge when it comes to handbuilding and the wheel? Becca, are you in a relationship? Send us questions so...

Becca goes solo this episode to share about her recently feeling more content with her business as COVID has hit this year. It's been a challenging few years since Becca started selling pottery full time back in 2014. She examines how decisions can pile up to something we may not have envisioned early on in the business and how vital putting your mental well-being is for long term success. En...

Ryan & Becca bring you a special mid-week episode to talk all things #potswap2020 . We made a new Instagram account for all Pot Swap shenanigans @potswapofficial to help us with sharing everything now and into the future. Registration is free and open to the first 400 entries on Wednesday, October 28th at 8pm EDT. First come, first serve on sign-ups so set a reminder! Spots WILL fill up in a m...

On this episode, Ryan & Becca sit down for a conversation in Cincinnati, Ohio with Amy Boullé from Tryst Studios. We chat outside of Queen City Clay where Amy has her private studio. We chat about balancing home life with her family while dedicating time to making and growing the small pottery business. COVID has thrown a wrench in Amy's year (like most of us), but she's finding ways...

On this episode, Ryan & Becca have a conversation with Andrew Fegler, the solo small business owner of That's So Andrew. Our discussion is driven mostly from a listener question related to how to use Instagram & Facebook for marketing. There is so much that goes into marketing period and social media marketing is a new world of its own, with each platform having unique pros & cons...

Ryan & Becca discuss finding a cohesive style and design with your work after a question from Jodie at  @mudslinging_pottery . It's tough to explain exactly what dictates your personal style, but it doesn't hurt to ask your peers. We share a lot of examples of fellow clay artists to explain some different ways to separate yourself from others and figure out your own style. It's...

Becca recorded this conversation without Ryan's knowledge (it's okay, she told him at the end). They chat about the motivation to continue showing up in the studio every week, whether there is a sweet spot follower count for having a sell out restock, Ryan's sales income during the pandemic in relation to last year, and more (there's even some cat talk). Enjoy this candid conve...